DESPITE the ongoing global fuel crisis, national airline Fiji Airways successfully launched the new direct service to the Gold Coast, Australia from Nadi International Airport.
In a press conference in Nadi on Thursday, Fiji Airways managing director and chief executive officer Paul Scurrah made a bold statement of why the airline chose to proceed with this air route.
“I think like every airline in the world we are certainly suffering from the increase cost of fuel,” Mr Scurrah said.
“We are not immune from that, and we continue to manage it on a daily basis.
“Fortunately for Fiji, our relative isolation from the escalation of the war in the Middle East, our reputation as a safe and family-friendly destination is really working in our favor at the moment.”
He said the airline was witnessing a strong demand and full flights amid the fuel crisis uncertainty.
“We are seeing really strong demand and really full flights and that is helping us get through what is considered a crisis in the airline industry.
“We need to have an eye in the future, and we need to see what we can do as an airline to grow the Fijian tourism industry, it is crucial to Fiji, and we are not sitting on our hands, and we are making sure we grow where we can.
“And we know this is the right decision, the timing of course could be better, but we are still backing ourselves to succeed on this new route.”
Tourism Fiji chief executive officer Dr Paresh Pant said their marketing team would roll out a major campaign next month, targeting the Gold Coast market.
” It is a very important market segment for us,” Dr Pant said.
“The marketing activities that we will be doing in a localised sense is important because Gold Coast naturally is a tourism hotspot for domestic Australians.
“So again, once we put our messaging out there in the space, it just gives us the extra captive audience that ‘hey, you have been here this time, next time take a hop over to Fiji as well’.”
Gold Coast Airport chief executive officer Amelia Evans told those present at the launch of the inaugural direct service from Nadi to Gold Coast that the connection would strengthen the two popular tourist destinations.
“We know that this is an important connection, not only because it is a route that Fiji Airways is putting on but because it is a time of partnership,” Ms Evans said.
“The 10 million people that live in our catchment (Gold Coast), this is a new opportunity for them to experience what Fiji can give them.”
